Independent But Not Alone
by StarlightSparks
Summary: Despite standard procedure, Spider-Man's villains do give him their silent respect. Not that he needs it, but it's the thought that counts. (Cross posted on AO3)


Spider-Man fought a _lot_ of people. Muggers, rapists, drug dealers, gangs-he'd seen it all.

If someone was commiting a crime in the streets of New York City, they had a eighty percent chance of getting caught. Fifteen percent to the police department, five to Daredevil because any crime in Hell's Kitchen got put to a hard stop. Another five to ten percent to the smaller vigilantes and passing heroes that stumbled upon someone in the act. But the remaining crooks got the pleasure of meeting the webslinger himself.

Most of the time it was only a glance; Spidey was a busy guy, and nearly five years of experience let him web up any small time offenders within seconds (there were rumors of a new type of training officers received regarding collecting people from webs). If there was a hostage involved, a few quips would be given before the situation was dealt with. It was no secret that crime rates dropped as a direct result of Spider-Man's involvement.

His super villains were a different story.

They all knew varying details about the man-no, _kid_ -behind the mask, and they were not happy. For some reason, only they were able to notice his height adjust over the years, one that changed more than any fully grown man's should. The villains that were around for longer than two years would remember his deepening voice finally making the kid slightly more intimidating. Anybody who attacked on different days of the week could tell he was still in school by how fast he appeared on scene; during weekdays it could take as long as half an hour before he made an appearance, and he was quick to disappear as soon as it was over. The ones that had been around the longest knew his name. It wasn't that he was careless; the opposite, actually. But when his biggest enemies were either geniuses or past friends, it wasn't too long before his identity was revealed.

That was the problem; they knew his identity. They had witnessed the world do nothing but watch as hundreds of men do their best to kill someone who wasn't even of legal age until recently. They were there as the government ordered police to kill a kid, who was just trying to keep his streets safe. As James J. Jameson called him a public menace and harassed him on every form of media imaginable. The villains of New York had seen no hesitation when the people tore into Spider-Man and criticize and mock a teenager's best efforts.

And all the while, Parker kept going. He still made sure to not seriously harm anyone, and went out of his way to help others. It wasn't long before he became a villain favorite, able to trade blows without going out of his way to hurt them. Not to mention he was one of the few heroes that were fun to fight, between the acrobatics and his humor, which really wasn't _too_ bad after you've been fighting him for awhile.

So they did their best to help in little ways. The villains who knew his identity stayed away from the kid's concerningly small family after the mess that followed Gwen Stacy's death (Green Goblin didn't mention it unless he was getting desperate in a fight, and even then he wasn't the most mentally stable of their lot). Fights were cut short on school nights and often completely postponed during midterms and finals. Some villains, like Sandman and occasionally Vulture would go easier on him and often resort to hit-and-runs. Others, like Electro, the Lizard, and Shocker, won't hold back out of respect. And then there's ones like Doc Ock, Venom, Green Goblin, and Rhino, who'll push Parker to his limits and force him to improve.

It wasn't normal to care for your nemesis, but Spider-Man was an exception.

* * *

That night, the villains that weren't scattered all around the world were playing cards in a run down bar just out of the city limits. Kraven was training somewhere in Africa, Venom had ventured up north in a hunt after someone who pissed them off, and a couple of the more deranged supervillains like Scorpion and the goblins had gone completely off the grid. Octavius was the one who noticed the television first, turning up the volume and hushing the others.

"-Man has yet to emerge from the wreckage. There are three civilians unaccounted for in the fire, and-what is this?! Spider-Man has appeared in one of the second floor windows and is lowering the victims down, who are receiving medical attention as we speak. Let's go over to our reporter on the field, Dave-"

Everyone in the room relaxed as the camera caught a clip of Spider-Man swinging away. They ignored the drone of the news as Rhino spoke up, playing his card.

"That kid's in too deep. Shoulda stuck to villains."

Shocker chuckled "Naw. If anything, the boy's got it easy. We'd'a made it harder for 'im."

Electro frowned as he picked up some cards, putting one down as his turn ended. "How long has he been at it again? Isn't he starting college by now?"

"Approaching five years, I believe," Doc Ock pondered, "I thought he graduated the year before last? He was born in August, so it throws off the dates."

Vulture sighed as Otto showed a winning deck, moving to reshuffle the deck. "Time's flown by. It feels like just yesterday the kid was in highschool, toe to toe with the Avengers and still doing science homework. How's his aunt holding up?"

Sandman scowled down at his new hand. "Not well. Poor kid's probably worried sick 'bout her. Hopefully he won't do anything stupid if something happens…"

"He'll most definitely do something rash, it's to be expected. He's lost too many people to be completely calm."

Rhino slammed down his fist, cracking the table. "It's not right! No kid-"

"We know," Vulture deadpanned. "It's not fair. I've been thinking he'd come to our side for ages with all the shit that happens to him, but here we are. Parker's too good for this world, and it's his curse."

Everyone around the table fell silent at that, each relating to their vigilante in some way for a moment. Because that is what made them bad; rejection, greed, loneliness. And while they didn't envy Peter Parker, they empathised with him. Maybe in a different world, where they weren't enemies, they could've been there to help him.

But maybe their silent support would be enough for now.

 **Thanks for reading this little oneshot, I hope it was interesting enough. I've always loved the idea that Peter has his enemies' respect, especially for being able to take them down without really hurting them. Please leave a review, even if I don't respond I appreciate them all! -Starlight**


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